Three years of bokashi and I'm still fighting the smell in my 1-bedroom

Started a bokashi system last year after reading it was the best for small spaces. But every time I empty the bucket into my little balcony bin, the whole place reeks for days. My neighbor in unit 4B complained last month about the ammonia smell drifting over. Anyone else dealing with this or found a way to keep it from stinking up the whole apartment?

2 comments

2 Comments

ross.angela7h ago

Oh gosh, I feel your pain on this! But I think you might be mixing up bokashi with regular composting a bit. Bokashi is actually an anaerobic fermentation process (it's a pickling thing, not a rotting thing), so if you're getting ammonia smells that hang around for days, something's off with your method. That ammonia smell usually means the bokashi bran isn't working right or there's too much moisture in your bucket. I'd try draining the liquid more often (like every 2-3 days) and making sure you're pressing down hard after each layer to squeeze out air pockets. Also, have you checked if your balcony bin is getting enough drainage? It should be more of a sour/sweet yeast smell, not like cat pee.

the_piper22m ago

Three years? Man, that's a long time to put up with that ammonia punch in a small space. I had it happen too when I forgot to drain the liquid for a week and it turned into a science experiment. Had to toss the whole batch because it smelled like a litter box mixed with old gym socks. Your ratio of bokashi bran might be off or maybe it's gone bad.